How Arkansas Students are Making Multi-Million-Dollar Impact Through Community Service
Service can introduce students to new environments, organizations, and causes, giving them a chance to explore career interests or passions they might not have encountered otherwise. At the same time, the hours they spend serving support local schools, nonprofits, and community organizations that rely on volunteers to do their work.
Through Arkansas’s Literacy, Empowerment, Accountability, Readiness, Networking and Safety (LEARNS) Act, community service has become a more intentional part of the high school experience. By incorporating service and civic engagement into student success planning, the Act encourages students to connect classroom learning with meaningful contributions to their communities.
Understanding the LEARNS Act
The LEARNS ACT impacts several areas of education in Arkansas, including teacher pay, literacy, career and technical education, and graduation requirements. One change places greater emphasis on community service and its role in connecting students with local organizations and people.
Beginning with the Class of 2027, Arkansas public high school students must complete 75 hours of community service before graduating due to the LEARNS Act.
“Education isn’t just about what you learn in the classroom; it’s also about preparing the next generation to be on a path to prosperity. This program facilitates a sense of public service and helps kids find opportunities in their own backyard.” – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
As schools prepare for this change, the volunteering requirement is already increasing student involvement in communities across Arkansas. Local nonprofits have reported more student volunteers, while schools and other community organizations are working to provide opportunities for students to complete their hours.
Students from Siloam Springs High School during a park clean-up
How Can Students Keep Track of Their Service Hours?
With Arkansas students now expected to complete 75 hours of community service, Launch for Students, will give them a single place to track their service, explore career interests, and connect those experiences to college and workforce pathways. As the platform rolls out statewide, hundreds of thousands of students can showcase the impact they make in their communities while building a record of experiences that support their future goals.
Through Launch for Students, students can turn community service into a meaningful record of their growth, linking volunteer experiences to their academic interests and career plans. At the same time, schools gain a better way to recognize student contributions and measure the positive impact young people are making across their communities.
For students seeking additional recognition for their service, InnerView offers opportunities to earn national, regional, and state volunteer awards as they log community service hours. National recognition opportunities include annual awards offered through the United Nations Association-USA, while other awards highlight service related to specific causes such as hunger relief, environmental stewardship, and community well-being. These awards bring attention to students’ leadership, showcase their accomplishments, and encourage continued engagement beyond graduation requirements.
Service By The Numbers
According to InnerView, during the 2025–2026 school year, 5 Arkansas high schools generated more than $1.4 million in community impact value, showing what students can accomplish through service. Har-Ber High School in Springdale contributed 18,900 service hours, producing an estimated $639,224 in civic impact. Other schools, including Siloam Springs High School and Huntsville High School, each contributed more than 5,000 service hours, driving more than $100,000 in local value.
Springdale High School students assisting a food bank restock
Across the 5 Arkansas high schools utilizing InnerView—Har-Ber, Siloam Springs, Huntsville, Marion, and Springdale High Schools—students earned 338 Merit, Honor, and Ambassador recognitions for reaching different levels of volunteer service during the 2025–2026 school year.
While these numbers represent only a small portion of Arkansas’s 300-plus public high schools, this snapshot shows how quickly student service can snowball. Community impact increases even further when charter schools, alternative schools, and other educational institutions are included. If these schools are any indication, student service could become a significant source of support for communities statewide.
Looking To the Future
As the 75-hour requirement reaches the Class of 2027, more students will have a reason to step outside of their normal routines and become present in their communities. Their efforts strengthen local organizations, support neighbors in need, and benefit communities across Arkansas. Together, those individual efforts can turn a graduation requirement into stories of accomplishment for young Arkansans.
This article is part of the Engage Arkansas 2026 Civic Challenge. The Civic Challenge focuses on one vital impact area to showcase impactful stories statewide. In August, Engage Arkansas highlighted the importance of Student Success & Education Support.
Yuliana Murillo, 2026